TORONTO, Canada (19 Sep 2007) -- A Gordon Graydon Memorial high school teacher who disappeared while diving with a friend in the Welland River near Niagara Falls on Sunday, is presumed dead. Michael Ford, an Etobicoke resident who heads the business and social sciences department at the Ogden Ave. school, went missing along with fellow diver Perry Clelland of Brampton. The two were part of a group of five divers who entered the water at around 9 a.m., but became separated from the group due to the strong currents generated from a nearby Ontario Power Generation (OPG) plant. Hope for finding the pair alive faded Sunday when the Niagara Regional Police Marine Unit's rescue operation was called off around 10 p.m. Repeated searches of the area this week has failed to turn up their bodies. While hundreds of divers frequent the area due to the underwater artifacts, it is a "very well posted ... treacherous area and a non-swimming area," said OPG spokesperson John Earl. Niagara Police initially responded to the area Sunday morning for a diver in need of assistance. That diver had initially been part of Ford's recreational dive group. Police said he was rescued at the diversion tunnels near the intersection of the Welland River and Niagara River. "Based on information received from him regarding the water conditions in the river, an operation was commenced to find the remaining divers," said Cst. Sal Basilone. Two other divers had exited the water due to the strong current and were located by emergency personnel, Basilone said. However two other divers, later identified as Ford and Clelland, were "unaccounted for," and the search for them continues today. | | Michael Ford disappeared while scuba diving with friends in the Welland River near Niagara Falls. Ford, whose been at Gordon Graydon for 20 years, was an experienced diver, along with the rest of the group, according to police. The Peel District School Board wasn't commenting on the case due to privacy concerns. However, students of Ford today expressed their sadness. "Graydon just won't be the same without him," said a Grade 11 student who didn't want to be identified. Others, including Gordon Graydon graduate John Lunn, described him as "funny" and "extremely helpful." Lunn added that Ford influenced his decision to go to law school because "he was such a great law teacher." SOURCE - The Mississauga NewsSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba ForumCDNN Related NewsCANADA - Two missing scuba divers presumed dead |
